Selective vending machine



Dec. 22, 1936. I 2,064,843

SELECTIVE VENDING MACHINE Filed Oct. 29, 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 722 69, en" Wz Zh Dec. 22, 1936. a. E. MILLS 2,064,843

SELECTIVE VENDING MACHINE Filed Oct. 29, 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 I W 7 93am (5. Wlzfh.

Dec. 22, 1936. B, 5 4 2,064,843

SELECTIVE VENDING MACHINE Filed Oct. 29, 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 TLZ o 2a ,3 4/ a; I

4 72 3 (13 CD CD /74 E 97* (f3 .ifizfnw as 9567'? (5 W257 Patented Dec. 22, 1936- PATENT OFFICE SELECTIVE VENDING MACHINE Bert E. Mills, Chicago, 111., assignor to Mills Novelty 00., Chicago, 11]., a corporation of Illinois Application October 29, 1934, Serial No. 750,490

7 Claims.

This invention relates to vending machines and particularly to machines of the type wherein provision is made for the vending of any one of a series of difierent kinds of articles which may be selected at will by the operator. 1

An important object of the invention is to provide a selective vending machine having compartments for supporting the various kinds of articles in stacked or column form, with ejecting mechanism consisting of a series of reciprocatory plunger members individualized to said compartments and arranged to be actuated by a manually operable lever, the" latter being adapted to be moved at the will of the operator intoposition for actuating the plunger member for any selected compartment.

Another object of the invention is to provide a vending machine of the character set forth in which the storage compartments which support the articles instacked or vertical column atrangement,.are aligned in row form with the ejectors, which are individualized thereto, arranged at the base of the columns and in position to be actuated by a selector device which is slidably supported on a shaft extending parallel to the row of storage compartments.

A further object of the invention is to provide in a vending machine of the character re-' ferred to, a selector mechanism comprising a pair of shafts disposed in parallel relation to the. article storage compartments, one of said shafts having actuating means slidably supported thereon for operatiig the ejectorsl and the other having a manually operable lever slidably supported thereon and interconnected with said actuating means, and in combination therewith coin-controlled means providing operative connection between said shafts.

A still further object of. the invention is to pro- .vide a selective vending machine in which the mechanism is of simple construction, having a minimum of operating parts, and of suchdesign that it may be manufactured at comparatively low cost. v v

-Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparentfrom the following detailed description, takenin connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein I have shown the preferred form in which I have thus far contemplated applying the principles of the invention.

. Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a selective vending machine constructed in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the taken on line 2--2 of Fig. 1;

Fig; 3 is a vertical section through the machine taken on line 33 of Fig. 1, the view showing the parts in the same position as in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2 with the parts in a different operative position;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 3, but showing the parts in the position corresponding to that of -Fig. 4;

'Fig. 6 is a partial front elevational view of the vending and selector mechanism, the view being taken as indicated by line 6-6 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. '7 is a horizontal section through the machine taken on line 1-! of Fig. 6.

machine Referring to the drawings, and particularly to- Figs. 1 and 2, the mechanism is housed in a metal case consisting of a back wall II, side walls I2 and I3, bottom wall I4, and a front wall I5, the upper portion of the latter beingbent rearwardly to form a top wall I6." Theback wall, and side walls I2 and I3, are formed from a single piece of sheet metal, and the bottom wall I4 which is of somewhat heavier construction, is secured in position either by riveting or welding, and serves to reinforce the casing to provide a rigid frame unit. The front wall I5 is formed intwo sections, the lower portion I1 having an opening I8 therein from which the articles are removed from the machine, the upper'portion I9 being provided with a transparent panel 2I, through which the several stacks or vertical columns of articles 22 may be viewed. The lower edge of wall section I9 is bent forwardly, as indicated at 23, to provide space for housing the selector mechanism. A pair of hinges 24 disposed between wall sections I1 and I9 permit the latter, together with top wall I6, to be swung forwardly to open position to permit refilling of the machine. This hinged wall section is held in closed position by a lock bar 25 which is operatively connected with a cylinder 26, the latter being turned by insertion of a key therein throughan opening 21 formed in front wall 'section I9. Bar 25 extends across the top of the machine, and one end thereof is connected with cylinder 26 through a pivoted bracket 28. When cylinder 26 is turned in direction to open the lock,,bar 25 and bracket 28 are drawn inwardly sufficiently to release them'from suitable lugs or brackets formed on the side walls-I2 and I3, thus permitting wall section I9 to be swung to open position.

The articles 22 are supported in vertical column form immediately in back of panel 2|, thearticles in the different columns being different in kind to give the operator a choice in the merchandise to be purchased. The holder, which is provided for supporting the articles in this manner, is best shown in Figs. 2 and 7,'and consists of a plurality of indivdual storage compartments, each of which consists of a back wall 29 and side walls 3| which join with back wall 29, the front vertical edges of the walls 3! being turned inwardly as indicated at 32. A single piece of sheet metal may be bent to the required shape to form these compartments, the adjacent walls 3| of the several compartments being welded together to form the complete holder consisting of the individual compartments arranged in vertically aligned row form, with the columns or stacks of articles 22 fully exposed to view through panel 2i The row of storage compartments are supported in the casing on a swinging frame consisting of a back plate 33 which extends transversely across the lower end of the holder, the opposite ends of said plate being provided with rearwardly projecting flanges 34 and 35 (Fig. 7), which are riveted to end plates 36 and 37, respectively. These end plates 36 and 37 are secured along their lower front edges to the low-er front wall section l! by means of heavy brackets 38 (Fig. 3), the lower edges of which are provided with hook shaped cleats 39 which extend through slots. in bottom wall l4.

are thus hingedly secured to bottom wall l4 and permit the holder to be swung forwardly after front wall section l9 has been moved to open position.

As best shown in Figs.- 2 and 4, the side walls 31 of the article holders are turned inwardly along their lower edges to provide flanges 4! for supporting the vertical columns of articles 22. These flanges 4! project forwardly beyond the front Walls ofthe storage compartments, each opposed pair serving as guide tracks for ejecting plungers 42 which are mounted for horizontal reciprocatory movement along said flanges M. A guide plate 43 is supported between end plates 36 and 37 immediately above ejectors 42, said plate being provided with rectangular notches 44 for receiving a push bar 45, the latter being slidably supported upon a squared shaft 46 which is journalled for rotation at its opposite ends between frame plates 36 and 31. The sliding support for bar 45 is provided by a yoke 41 having spaced cleats 48 which are provided with squared openings for receiving shaft 46. When shaft 46 is turned through a partial revolution by mechanism presently to be described, push bar 45 is rotated therewith, moving from the position shown in Fig. 2 in a. clockwise direction to the position shown in Fig. 4, the upper portion thereof engaging one of the ejectors 42 to advance the latter through an operative stroke, thereby separating the lowermost article 22 from that particular column opposite which push bar 45 may have been placed. It will be noted that the back walls 29 of the storage compartments terminate above side wallflanges. 4| a distance slightly greater than the thickness of one of the articles 22, thus permitting displacement of the articles from the lower ends of the columns by movement of the ejectors 42 through an operative stroke from the position shown in Fig. 2 to the position shown in Fig. 4.

To further aid in this separation of the lowermost articles from the columns, each of the storage compartments is provided with stripper mechanism consisting of a thin sheet metal strip 49 which is secured by a screw 5| to plate 33, the lower end of the strip being bent or crimped for- The plates 36 and 37, together with lower front wall section ll,

wardly to engage the lowermost article. It will beapparent that as the ejector 42 moves to the right, viewing Fig. 2,.the lowermost article 22 will be pushed along flanges 4!, the spring strip 49 bending upwardly and sliding over the top surface of the article as it'moves along flanges 4|. Upon return of the ejector from the positionshown in Fig. 4 to the normal inoperative position shown in Fig. 2, strip 49 snaps or projects the article downwardly onto a delivery chute 52 which guides itthrough opening I 8, said chute terminating in a shelf 53 which catches the article as it slides to exposed position beyond front cover plate IT. Ejectors 42 are returned from the position shown in Fig. 4 to the position shown in Fig. 2 by springs 54 secured at one end to downturned flanges 55 carried by ejectors 42, the opposite ends of said springs being secured to lugs 56 which are fixedly secured to flanges 4 l. The ejectors 42 are turned downwardly along their side edges to provide runners or tracks 57 which serve to guide them in their reciprocatory movements along flanges 4!.

Manually operable means is provided for turning shaft 46 and push bar 45, which turns therewith, to actuate ejectors 42. For this purpose a squared shaft 58 is positioned slightly forwardly of shaft 46, being journalled at its opposite ends in frame plates 36 and 3?. lever 59 projecting forwardly through an opening 6! formed in lower front wall section I7, is slidably supported on shaft 58 through a yoke 62, the latter having a pair of spaced ears 63 projecting at right angles to the web portion thereof, said ears being provided with squared openings for slidably engaging shaft 58. An apron 64, secured to the inner face of wall section I? immediately above opening 6!, is provided with a curved wall section 65 which is shaped to receive the curved lugs or projections .63 formed on yoke 62. The web portion 66 of yoke 62 is similarly curved, so that apron 64 serves both as a closure for open ing 6| and as a guide plate for lever 59 and apron 62.

As best shown in Fig. 1, lower wall section I! is provided along the lower edge of opening 6| with a series of squared notch-es 61 which are shaped to receive lever 59, these notches being positioned in alignment with the columns of articles 22. It will be apparent that when lever 59 is positioned above one of the notches 61, it may be pushed downwardly from the position shown in Fig. 2 to the position shown in Fig. 4, which movement serves to turn both shafts 58 and 45, through mechanism hereinafter to be described, thereby actuating one of the ejectors 42. If lever 59 is not positioned in alignment with one of the notches 61, this downward movement is prevented by the upstanding lugs or projections 68 which intervene between adjacent pairs of the notches 61.

lected ejector through the operation of lever 59. As already explained, both push bar 45 and lever 59 are slidably supported on shafts 46 and 58, respectively.' By reference to Fig. 2, it will be noted that the lug portions 63 forming a part of the yoke 62, are overlapped by lugs 48 which form apart of yoke 41, this overlapping portion in Fig. Z'being indicated at 69. This construction makes it possible to move push 'bar 45 longitudinally alongshaft 46 by simply sliding lever 59 along shaft 58, the overlapping of ears 48 and 63 providing an operative connection which per- A manually operable bar 45 is moved to position to actuate any semits the lever 59 and push bar 45 to be adjusted simultaneously lengthwise of shafts 58 and 46. respectively, while at the same time allowing these parts to rotate or turn independently of one another. The selective positioning of lever 59, opposite the desired compartment of the holder thus serves to bring push bar 45 into operative position with that particular ejector which is,-

associated with the selected compartment.

Mechanism is provided for operatively connecting shafts 58 and 46 whereby to actuate the latter through the operation of lever 59. This mechanism, which" is coin-controlled, is best shown in Figs. 3 and 5. The end of shaft 58 which projects through frame plate 31, is provided with an arm 1| which is rotatably supported on said shaft and normally turns therewith through the provision of a heavy coil spring 12, one end of which is connected with a lug 13 carried on arm II, the other endof said spring being connected at 14 to an arm 15 which is rigid on shaft 58. The lower portion of arm 1| is provided with a pawl 16, which, during the movement of arm 1| from the position shown in Fig. 3 to the position shown in Fig. 5, passes over a toothed rack 11, the latter being secured to end plate 31. A small coil spring 18, secured at one end to pawl 16 and at the other end to a fixed point on arm II, yieldingly holds the pawl in the position shown in Fig. 3. As soon as lever 59 has been pressed sufficiently to bring pawl 18 against rack 11, return movement of the parts is prevented until lever 59 has been depressed through a full stroke to carry pawl 18 completely across rack 11 to the position shown in Fig. 5, after which arm 1| and shaft 58, together with lever 59, are free to return to normal position. During this return movement pawl 18 rides over theteeth of rack 11 without coming into locked position against the teeth. v

Means is. provided for operatively connecting arm 1| with shaft 46 and, in the embodiment shown, this mechanism comprises: an arm 19 rigidly secured to the end of shaft 48 which projects beyond frameplate 31; a lever 8| rotatably supported on a stub shaft 82 which projects from frame plate 31; a link 83 pivotally connected at one end to arm 19, the other end thereof being pivotally connected at to one arm of lever 8|;

.edge with an inturned flange 9| which is positioned to engage against a coin 92 which has been guided by means presently to be described to a position of rest on the upper end of a plate 93 disc 85 and lever 8|.

which is secured to frame plate 31. A guide plate 94 is supported on frame plate 31 between lever 8| and the coin supporting plate 93. The upper end of lever 8| is provided with an inwardly projecting pin 95 'which engages the edge of the coin to hold the latter in the position shown in from link 81, provides a yielding connection between said link 81 and arm 1|.

By reference to Figs. 3 and 5 it will be apparent that by moving lever 59 downwardly from the position shown in Fig. 3 to the position shown in Fig. 5, the operator will turn shaft 58, and arm 1 I, which is yieldingly connected thereto, through a partial revolution to the position shown in Fig. 5. This movement of arm 1| is transmitted through link 81 to disc and the turning movement of the latter is transmitted through coin 92 to lever 8| which is thus caused to pivot in a clockwise direction from the position shown in Fig. 3 to the position shown in Fig. 5. Lever 8| in turn imparts its movement of rotation through link 83 and arm 19 to shaft 48 which carries push bar 45. During this cycle of movements the coin 92 is carried by disc 85 in a clockwise direction, being guided by the upper end of plate 93, and also by plate 94. After the coin has been thus rolled around shaft 88 through approximately a quarter of a revolution it is snapped downwardly along a guide chute formed on the inner face of plate 94 into an opening 99 formed in end plate 31 from which point it gravitates into a coin box I8I. By the time the coin is thus discharged the parts have moved to the position shown in Fig. 5,

which corresponds to the lowerlimiting position of operating lever 59 in 'notches 61. (In this position shaft48 and push bar 45, which is supported thereon, assume the position shown in Fig. 4. The actuating mechanism is returned from the position shown in Fig. 5 to the normal inoperative position shown in Fig. 3 by springs and 91. If any attempt is made to force the mechanism, as for example by the use of an improper coin, or byimproperly positioning operating lever 59, spring 12 yields to permit shaft 58 and lever.5 9 to turn independently of the arm 1| and the operative parts connected therewith.

The mechanism for checking and guiding a proper coin to the operative position shown by the coin 92 in Fig. 3 is best shown in Figs. 3 and 5. A coin of the proper denomination is inserted in a coin slot I82, formed in a mask plate I83 which is secured to front Wall section I9. A

coin thus introduced rolls downwardly along an inclined chute I84, one wall of this chute being formed by frame plate 31, the other wall thereof being formed by a plate I85, which is spaced from plate 31, being secured thereto by rivets 38. As shown in Fig. 6, the upper portion of frame plate 31 is tilted or bent slightly to the right so that as the coin rolls downwardly along chute I84, it moves opposite an opening I88 formed in plate I85. If the coin is of insufficient diameter it will fall laterally through opening I88 into a receptacle I81 which is supported on plate 31. If the coin is of proper'diameter it will .continuein chute I84 beyond opening' I86 and will be directed downwardly opposite the poles of a magnet |88 which is adjustably secured by a clamp plate I89 and screw III to frame'plate 31. Iron slugs are deflected by the poles of the magnet from chute I84 passing downwardly therefrom to the left, viewing Fig. 5, into a chute II2, which directs the slugs to an opening H3 in frame plate 31, from which point the slugs fall into delivery chute 52 by which they are returned to the operator. If the coin introduced is non-magnetic it falls downwardly from chute I84 into a chute II 4 which directs it downwardly into operative position between the fiange 9| on disc 85 and pin 95 carried by lever 8|. In this position, as previously explained, the coin forms an operative connection between disc 85 and lever 8|, and is carried around shaft 86 as an axis to be discharged into have been dispensed therefrom, but also serve to press the articles downwardly to prevent jamgming. Each of the bars H5 is provided with a spring pressed pawl H6 having a toothed portion Ill which projects from the bar against the side wall 38 of the compartment to prevent the bars from sliding or being jarred upwardly, thus avoiding the danger of the articles becoming clogged or displaced from their proper alignment in the columns.

The operation of the apparatus is briefly follows: assuming the compartments have been filled with various kinds of articles 22, the op erator first inserts a coin of proper denomina tion in coin slot M2, the coin, if proper as to diameter and material, fallingv to the position shown by coin 92 in Fig. 3, to provide an opera tive connection between flange 9! and pin The operator then slides lever 59 along shaft t until it is opposite the particular column desir T and in alignment with notch 6'! corresponding to that column. This movement of lever as likewise positions push bar 55 opposite the ejector as 1 corresponding to the selected columnn stage the parts assume the positions shown in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings. Having thus pre liminarily inserted a coin and positioned the parts, the operator depresses lever 55, thereby imparting a partial revolution to shaft 58 a counter-clockwise direction, viewing Fig. 2, to bring the latter to the position shown in d. This turning of shaft 58 produces a corres'o" ing turning of shaft in a clockwise diZ'fiC-cifil'i, viewing Fig. 2, to bring said shaft to the posi tion shown in Fig. 4, this transmission of move- -ment from shaft 58 to shaft 36 being through arm ii, link 8?, disc 85, coin 92, lever 8!, link 83, and arm '19. The coin 92 is carried around shaft 86 approximately 90 in this operation, being dropped from between flange 9! and pin 95 into opening 99 and at the'same time, the turning of shaft 46 from the positionshown in Fig. 2

35 and the ejector 52 associated therewith to the position shown in Fig. 4 carries push bar throughan, active stroke to separate the lowermost-article-22 from the stack. Asthearticle'is pushed from the'lower end of the column stripper plate 69 yields to allow the'article to pass and at the same time holds the next uppermost ar-' ticle in position.- The article thus-separated falls into chute 52 fromwhich point it is directed to ,shelftiii-extending across the front-of the ma- @chine. The. parts are returned from the position '.shown .inFi'g. 5 back to the position shown in Fig.- 3* by springs 96 and 917, ejectors 'M' being ,idrawn forwardlyto the position-shown in Fig. 2

I qbyusprings 5 3. The cycle of operationsmay then berepeated after another coinhas beenjintroduced, eachoperati'on of the machine permitting the operator to select an article from a desired At this a aoeasea compartment by merely preliminarily positioning lever 59 opposite the compartmentcontaining the article which the operator wishesto purchase. As soon as one of the compartments becomes empty bar H5 for that compartment comes to rest at the bottom of the holder in position to obstruct further operation of the ejector 42 associated with that compartment. If the operator undertakes to force the machine under such circumstances, spring 12, which forms a yielding connection between arm H and shaft 58, yields to prevent damaging of the parts and the operator is freeto make selection in any one of the compartments which still contains merchandise.

The foregoing detailed description has been given for clearness of understanding only, and no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom, but the appended claims should be construed as broadly as permissible in view of the prior art.

What I regard as new and desire Letters Patent is:

l. A selective vending machine comprising a to secure by holder having a series of merchandise storage compartments positioned in alignment across the holder and adapted to support the articles to be dispensed in column form, ejecting devices com prising reciprocatory plungers individualized to said compartments for separating the lowermost articles from the columns, means for actuating. a selected one of said plungers upon each opera tion of the machine, said means including a pair of shafts extending in parallelrela'tion to the holder, means carried on one of said shafts for operatively engaging said plungers, a manually operable lever carried by the other shaft for turning the latter, and coin-controlled means providing operative connection between said shafts, said lever and plunger operating means being interconnected and adjustable as a unit longitudinally on said shafts, whereby to enable the operator to move the plunger operating means to position for actuating any selected plunger.

2. A selective vending machine comprising a holder having a series of merchandise storage compartments positioned in alignment-across the holder and adapted to support the articles to be dispensed in column form, a series of ejectors individualized to said compartments for'separating the lowermost articles from the columns, means for actuating a. selected one of said ejectors upon each operation of the machine said means including a shaft supported in parallel relation to the holder, a manually operable lever-slidably supportedon said shaft and operative to turn the latter through" a partial revolution, asecond shaft positioned parallel to said first shaft, an arm slidably supported on said second shaft and adapted 'to bemoved by the lattr into-operative engagement with the ejectors, coin controlled'means providing operative connection between said 'shafts, and selector 'mechanism 4 comprising 1 means carried bysaidx lever for. engaging said arm whereby to enable the operator-to move the latter along its supporting shaft to position for actuating any selected ejector.

3. A selective vending machine comprising a holder having a series .of merchandise storage compartments positioned in alignment across the holder and adapted tosupport the articles to be dispensed in column form, electing devices comprising'reciprocatory plungers individualized to said compartments for separating the lowermost articles fromth'e columns, means for actuating a I selected one of said plungers uponieachjoperation aoeaeas of the machine, said means including a shaft supported in parallel relation to the holder, a manually operable lever slidably supported on said shaft and'operative to turn the latter through a partial revolution, a second shaft positioned parallel to said first shaft, an arm slidably supported on said second shaft and adapted to be moved by the latter into operative engagement with the plungers, coin-controlled means providing operative connection between said shafts, and selector mechanism comprising means carried by said lever for engaging said arm, whereby to enable the operator to move the latter along its supporting shaft to position for actuating any selected plunger.

d. A selective vending machine comprising a series of individual merchandise storage compartments arranged in alignment with one another and adapted to support the articles to be dispense-d in column form, ejectors individualized to said compartments for separating the lowermost articles from the columns, means for actuating a selected one of said ejectors upon each operation of the machine, said means including a pair of shafts positioned in parallel relation to the row of compartments, means carried by one of said shafts for operatively engaging said ejectors, manually operable means carried by the other shaft for turning the latter, and coin-controlled means providing operative connection between said shafts, said manually operable means and said plunger operating means being interconnected and adjustable as a unit longitudinally on said shafts, whereby toenable the operator to move the ejector actuating means to position for actuating any selected ejector.

5. In a selective vending machine, the combination of a plurality of merchandise storage compartments, means individualized to said compartments for dispensing articles therefrom, a pair of shafts disposed in parallel relation to one another, actuating means carried on one of said shafts for operatively engaging said dispensing means, a manually operable lever carried by the other shaft for turning the latter, and coin-controlled means providing operative connection between said shafts, said lever and actuating means being interconnected and adjustable as a unit longitudinally on said shafts, whereby to enable the operator to move the actuating means to position for operating the dispensing means for any selected compartment.

6. In a selective vending machine, the combination of means for supporting the articles to be dispensed in a series of columns, ejecting means for each column for discharging the articles therefrom individually, and means for actuating the ejecting means for a selected column upon each operation of the machine, said means including an arm, means providing a pivotal and sliding support for said arm enabling the latter to be moved to position for operatively engaging any selected ejecting means, a manually operable lever fulcrumed to turn independently of said arm, means connecting said lever and arm whereby movement of the lever moves the arm into operative position with respect to any selected means, and coin-connectable means providing operative connection between said arm and lever whereby turning of the latter will pivot said arm into engagement with the selected ejecting means.

'7. In a selective vending machine, the combination of a holder having a plurality of merchandise compartments, and ejecting means for discharging articles from said compartments selectively, said means including an adjustablymounted discharging device, an actuator under the control of the operator, said actuator being engageable with said device whereby the latter may be moved into operative relation to one compartment or the other by movement of said actuator, and coin-connectable members operated by said actuator for providing an operative connection between said actuator and said discharging device to cause the latter to eject an article from a selected compartment, said actuator being operable without effect upon said device in the absence of a coin in position to connect said members.

BERT E. MILLS. 

